SWTOR: Shadows
by Rappkea
Summary: Inspired by Star Wars: The Old Republic. I am planning to make a couple stories and make a small series out of it. *Unfortunately, this story wasn't going quite how I wanted it to. I'm planning to write one that will go how I want it to but for now, this story is on hold.
1. Prologue

Prologue

In the days of The Old Republic, Master Rhaz would always say, "Old deeds cast long shadows." He would often use this saying during his speeches in The Senate when he would speak on behalf of the Anti War Society. He would also use that saying in his classes, as he was the Force Instructor for the younglings at the Jedi Temple. His entire class knew what the saying meant: that your past can ruin your future. However, few knew that this could not be truer for two young Jedi.

Nivek Kaj was a young 12-year old Jedi. He and Jedi master, Shoj Ramgah stood in silence as they looked through the glass of the medical bay. The crew of the Republic cruiser, Honor, scrambled to try to save the young female patient on the table. She was wearing a white silk gown that revealed her arms that were hooked up to the medical machines. Her long black hair hung over the side of the table.

"Is she going to be alright, master?" Nivek asked as he looked up at the Jedi Knight.

"She will be fine, Nivek," Shoj said, comfortingly. "I sense a strong spirit in her."

The young Jedi Knight was actually only three years older than his young apprentice was. He was a very fast learner and became a Padawan at an early age. And despite his age, he was actually one of the better Jedi in the Order.

A man in pure white armor and bearing a red cross approached the Jedi Knight. "We have her stabilized, sir. She is going to make it."

The two Force-sensitives let out a sigh of relief. Little did they know that their problems were far from over.

Despite all the medical equipment that the girl was hooked up to, the girl managed to wake up. When she looked around and saw her surroundings, she thought she was dreaming. However, as time when on, she realized that she could not wake up from her nightmare as she set into reality. One aspect of the situation that the Republic medics did not account for was that the girl was a Force-sensitive. She wound wiggle around on the medical table, fighting the straps that restrained her from leaving the table. As she struggled, she would let out shouts of anger and rage. She would shout, "MOM! DAD! WHERE ARE YOU?" Eventually, the head medic on the Honor entered the medical room.

"Excuse, me miss. Those monsters were not your family. They kidnapped you. We are going to take you back to Coruscant," the medic said.

As he spoke, the girl, unwillingly, used the force and picked up one of the medical syringes. Having no control of her actions, the tool flew through the air and found the forehead of the Republic trooper. After the soldier died, the girl completely lost control. She would resist the straps that held her down but she could not get free. She let off a blast of Force energy that shattered the glass and destroyed equipment. Troops scrambled to prepare for the situation. Nivek and Shoj were moved away from the destruction. Troops moved in to hold her down but anyone that got within a five-foot radius of the girl was blown away and rarely survived. The more troops that tried to calm her down, the more troops were blown away. And as she let off Force blasts, the ship was getting torn to pieces. The engines were being crushed, the bridge was crumbling, and the entire ship was falling apart. The commander aboard the ship, Commander Blare, said aloud, "If we don't stop this, the entire ship will implode."

He took a stun blaster and fired it at the outraged girl, she fell limp, and the destruction subsided for the moment.

000

The damage to the ship was catastrophic. The engines were ruined. The armor was in shambles. The blasters were not operational. In addition, on top of all that they were in Imperial space. The Bridge being the farthest away from the medical bay was relatively untouched. Luckily, the communication array was functional as well. Jedi General Shoj Ramgah stood at the holo-table with Commander Blare and several other high-ranking officers. They needed to find some way to get out of the area before Imperial ships showed up. The holo-table showed the transparent, blue, images of two of the Jedi Order's most skilled Jedi: Master Broda and Master Denal. Master Broda was a red Twi'lek elder and above all the wisest of all Jedi and Master Denal was the most skilled Jedi when it came to lightsaber combat.

"Master, we need a rescue now. We are like sitting ducks out here. If we don't get support from the Republic soon the Empire will notice us and blast us to bits," Shoj pleaded the council.

"We understand. However, all of our Battle cruisers are already in combat," Master Denal replied.

The Jedi Knight sighed in disappointment. "Understood, Masters. We will hold out as long as we can."

000

All the lights in the corridors were out, however, even a Padawan learner can sense his way through in the dark. Nivek crept slowly through all the debris trying not to mess bump into the scrap that laying the path. The walls were deformed and bent but Nivek found his way to the medical bay. The door was usually automatic but it obviously was not working. He pulls the door to get it to open and it slowly creaked, letting Nivek gain access. He walked in. He was amazed at the damage that this little girl caused. His master always taught him about how powerful the Force was but he never told him about strength of this magnitude. A shot of sparks came out of a fallen chord and it startled Jak for a brief moment. He then drew his attention to the medical table. It was amazingly unharmed. In addition, it was empty.

Nivek's first instinct was to tell Shoj. He turned around to leave but as soon as he faced the door, he watched as it shut on its own.

"You are with them, too, aren't you?" a feminine voice said behind her. Nivek turned around and saw the girl that caused all of this. She was still in the white, medical gown that the medics put on her. Although, it had tears and marks of dirt on it.

Nivek was hesitant to respond. "I don't know. I do know that I am with the Republic."

"What is the Republic?" she responded. "Is the Republic the people who killed my parents?" she asked.

"What? No, the Republic is a government that rules over the galaxy. It has been around for more than ten thousand years," Nivek explained to the girl.

"Are they good?" the girl asked.

"Are they good?" Nivek repeated. "Of course, the Republic has stood for peace and prosperity for centuries."

The little girl nodded and then just sat in silence thinking to herself. She finally said, "What is your name?"

"I'm Nivek Kaj. What is your name?" he replied.

She sat in silence again thinking to herself. "I'm not really sure. My parents call me Retaka Tazk."

Nivek nodded, and then the communicator on his wrist began beeping. Nivek responded to it. "Yes, master?"

"Come to the bridge. Republic forces are going to pick us up," Shoj Ramgah said on the other line.

"Understood, master," Nivek said. He turned off his wrist com and knelt down to Retaka. "I've got to go," he said gently to her.

Retaka nodded and lowered head in disappointment. Nivek let out a heavy sigh, disappointed as well. However, Retaka's reaction suddenly changed. She looked up and Nivek, her eyes changed from the hazel color to a yellow and red color. Sensing a disturbance in the Force, he looked back down at Retaka but he was too late. Retaka reached out and swiped Nivek's lightsaber off his belt. She ignited the blade and stabbed it into Nivek's chest. As the blade was a mere foot from his chest, time began to slow down. Something was not right. That was not Nivek's lightsaber. The hilt was different. It possessed features that only that of a Sith lightsaber and the color of the blade was a blood red. The lightsaber sizzled through his chest and the last thing he saw was that evil, bloodthirsty eyes of a Sith.

Nivek suddenly woke up. He threw his head up and looked around. His surroundings became more familiar. Nivek was in the Force class of the Jedi Temple. Master Broda was standing near him.

"Mister Kaj, you know how much I disapprove of sleeping in my class. If you wish to become a Jedi Knight them you must stay away and may attention," the Twi'lek said as he resumed his position at the front of the class. Nivek sighed again, he leaned out on the desk, half-paying attention to class and half thinking about the nightmare he just had.

Class ended rather quickly and Nivek left class, he wanted to head to the meditation room to get a better insight on his dream for this was not how things really happened. Nivek remembered it well. Retaka did not kill him. She remained in the medical bay and was brought to Coruscant. After a bit of debate in the Jedi Council, she became a Padawan learner.

Retaka ran to catch up with Nivek. "Hey, Nivek," she said. The boy gave no reply for he was still lost in thought. She nudged his shoulder. "Hey, Nivek," she said again.

He snapped out of it and looked back at Retaka. "Oh, hey, Retaka."

"Are you ok? You seem out of it," she commented.

Nivek began to go back his thoughts and finally said, "I guess I am,"

"What's going on?" Retaka asked.

"Nothing," Nivek replied. He then ran off to get to the meditation chamber. The sooner he got some answers, the better. As he ran he was stopped and the sharp, painful torture of electricity being run through his body. The pain of it all was too much to bear. The shocking torment of it all. Fortunately, it stopped. The body of the young boy fell to the ground with a thud. He could not move and he had singed holes in his robes. He felt the pressure of a boot up against his side. Nivek was rolled over so he could watch as Retaka drove him through with her own lightsaber. The sword crackled through his chest but again something was wrong. Retaka's blade was blue, not red.

Nivek woke up again. This was beginning to get weird. He remembers everything that happened in these dreams. He checked his surroundings and realized that he was in the Jedi Temple Library. He was at one of the computer consoles looking up the history of a planet known as Naboo. He could sense Retaka come up behind him. He expected a greeting but none came. This time she was relentless and just stabbed Nivek in the back.

Nivek woke up again. _Please let this be the last one,_ he thought to himself. He was standing with Jedi Master Nox, the head librarian of the Jedi Temple. Retaka was talking to him and Nivek was just entering the conversation.

"Master Nox, I want you to tell me of this sort of species," Retaka said as she activated a hologram of a humanoid figure. The unknown species had pink, pale, skin. In addition, it possessed big dark eyes. A small mouth and nose were also on its face. They had bizarre tentacles for fingers.

Master Nox took one look at the hologram and smiled. "Oh them. They are believed to be a species created in Sith technology labs. They are what we call Sith mutations or Sith Mutts. But that certain one we killed off about two years ago," Master Nox said as he returned to his work.

Retaka took a moment to process this. She has been in the order for about two years. Therefore, that species must have been her family. Retaka reached for her lightsaber hilt and the blue blade came to life she drove it into the back o the librarian and his limp corpse fell over all of the holo-books. Retaka's eyes went wide with fear, realizing what she had just done. She dropped the blade and ran out of the library, only to be stopped by other Jedi.

Nivek then instantly found himself in the Jedi Council room. Retaka was in the center of the room, handcuffed and surrounded by Jedi guards. Master Broda was at the head of the council. "You have chosen your own path, Retaka Tazk," he said. "You are no longer a part of the Jedi Order."

Retaka could feel something grow insider her. She knew this feeling once. It gave her power and strength. She knew as anger and rage. She lifted her arm up and clenched her fist. This shattered a window of the Council Chambers. She knew this would be her only escape so she ran and jumped. No one on the Order saw her again.

Nivek woke up again. This time he was in a bed. The surroundings were once again familiar. The cold, musty, feeling was too real to be a dream. Nivek finally set into reality. He ran his hand through his sweaty, brunet, hair. He tried to relax as he slowed his breathing back down to normal. He noticed that his master was on the bed that was across from him. He remembered that he and his master were on a mission to Corellia. Nivek came to the realization that he was not going to get anymore sleep tonight. He slipped on a tunic, left the sleeping quarters, and entered the cockpit. The blue tunnel of hyperspace created a bright glow that Nivek's eyes were not adjusted for. He sat in the pilot seat and tried to put the nightmares that he just had out of his mind.


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1 - Infiltration**

Hyperspace. With the invention of the hyperdrive, a starship could travel halfway across the galaxy in a matter of hours. The speed of hyperspace was so great that it diffracted the light of all the stars creating the light blue glow that illuminated the face of Nivek Kaj. The ship was in autopilot but Nivek still put his hands on the ships controls just to have something to do. Thoughts of Retaka flooded his mind. He didn't like it. It had been two years since the events that happened in his dreams. He tried so desperately to forget his best friend but he couldn't. He didn't want to forget her but he knew that he had to. He and his master had an assignment to do and if Nivek let his feelings get in the way, then the mission would surely fail.

The door behind Nivek opened and a man walked through. Normally, Nivek would turn to see who it was but at this time, Nivek was to emotionally drained and he knew that there was only one other person on the ship.

"Good morning, Master," Nivek said.

"Morning, Nivek," replied Jedi Master Ramgah.

There was a brief moment of silence when Shoj finally said, "How did you sleep?"

"Fine," was Nivek's reply.

"Nivek?" Shoj Ramgah said in response. Shoj was Nivek's friend but he was also his teacher.

Nivek let out a heavy sigh, nothing could get past Shoj. He was so strong with the Force that he knew every little emotion that his former Padawan felt. "I've been having dreams," he said shamefully.

"Retaka?" Shoj asked to clarify.

Nivek simply nodded.

"Nivek, what happened then was not your fault. She was taken from her home by Sith beings and was told to believe certain things. She believed that the Jedi killed her parents and that was why she killed Master Nox," Shoj explained.

Nivek just nodded again. He hated talking about Retaka. Not because he hated her, but because she was like a sister to Nivek. And the Retaka That Nivek knew so well knew couldn't kill anyone, even if she wanted to. Water began to gather in his eyes and drops began to fall onto his Jedi robes.

Shoj sat in the co-pilot seat and turned the seat towards Nivek. "Nivek, look at me," he said.

Nivek did nothing other than sob.

"Look at me," he repeated in his calm voice.

Nivek did so, his eyes filled with tears. Shoj wiped them away with the sleeve of his robe. "It will be alright. She will be fine. I assure you."

Nivek gave a nod and did his best to force out a smile.

"Good. Now if you are ready we are coming up on Corellia," Shoj said as he turned toward the controls and got ready to disengage hyperdrive.

Within minutes, the blue tunnel of hyperspace faced away and the stars returned to their normal white dots in space. Nivek force the thoughts of Retaka aside for the time being as he focused in the planet that he was about to enter. The giant planet slowly grew larger as the orange Republic Shuttle approached the green and blue planet.

000

Coronet City was the capital of Corellia. It was a busy, urban, metropolis that was located on the coast of the southernmost continent on Corellia. The technology of Coronet city was high, higher than most cities however it was trivial in comparison to Coruscant. As the capital of Corellia, this major city also contained Coronet Palace within its city walls. And it was here where the king and queen of Corellia also stayed.

A man sat in the throne of Corellia. His eyes were a cold, steel, gray and his hair was long and blonde. He took a lush, plump purple fruit from the bowl that was to his right and he munched on the juicy snack. He stood up from his throne and walked over to the window of the palace, it looked over the entire Coronet City. He finished the fruit and threw the core up into the air. Time seeped to slow down as the center of the fruit flew up. The man waited. One second. Two seconds. Three. With reflexes like lightning, he grabbed the blaster pistol on his belt. With nearly a nanosecond to aim, the man pulled on the trigger and a hot red blast flew through the Throne Room. It struck the core, dead on and the remainder of the fruit flew apart into several pieces and landed on the ground. The man smiled at his skill and he spun the pistol in circles before returning the weapon to its holster. He looked at the main entrance to the room. Two figures stood on either side of the massive door.

The one to the left of the door was a man of metal and circuits. He had a great intelligence of military tactics all stored in his artificial memory. His long slender arms hung down the sides of his metallic torso and legs. He face had three glowing red eyes that could intimidate the strongest soldier in the Republic. And the symbol of the old Sith Empire was embedded on his chest.

"We are not impressed, Commander Pyron," the droid said in his deep, monotone, robotic, voice.

Commander Fang Pyron's face changed from a proud smile to a glare. "Do not undermine me, TI-84. You forget that it was because of my skills with a blaster that granted me the position of commander of the Death Klan," Pyron said as he patted his holster. On the left side of his torso, the uniform showed a red Gundark skull and the forehead showed the symbol of the Empire as well as on the right shoulder of the uniform.

"Those skills are not the reason you hold the rank that you. You are Commander for your experience in the military," Ti-84 replied.

Pyron smiled again taking the droids words as a compliment. "Thank you."

"Do not get two over confident, Pyron," said a voice from the other side of the door.

The droid and the man turned to the dark figure hiding in the shadows cloaked in armor black as charcoal and a robe as black as night.

The robed figure walked away from the wall and stopped in front of Pyron.

"TI-84 is right. The Death Klan's skills have proven most useful and a group of mercenaries are just what my master needs to carry out his grand design. But your overconfidence could easily ruin the plan. My Master wanted me to lead the Death Klan to take Coronet City. It is an essential part of the planet and of the Republic. Coronet spaceport is the center for all the major trade ships that come through here from various worlds all across the galaxy and sends them to the Republic. It is the base of operations for the supply of the Republic's resources. We took the city so that the Republic's resources would cease. Without Coronet, the Republic will become crippled and they will be easy to carry out my Master's plan. After we finish here, the galaxy will be forced into chaos and the Jedi Order will fall," the Sith warrior said.

Pyron stood up after the robed figure's speech. "If that is so, Darth Rim, then why did we not jam communications when we took the city? We knew the king and queen would send out a distress call to the Republic for help. And most likely, Jedi and Republic Forces will already be on their way."

"That was the plan," the Darth Rim replied. Glowing red and yellow eyes from beneath the Rim's hood stared at Pyron with death and rage. "We anticipated the Jedi and the Republic to strike back when we took this city. The Jedi Order does not know that I am here.I am my master's secret weapon. My master has prepared for this plan for 300 hundred years. We cannot fail. We will lure the Jedi right into out trap, take them by surprise and the galaxy will soon be for the taking of my master."

000

The orange shuttle flew over the lush forests of Corellia. Nivek was at the pilot's seat steering the ship and Shoj was sitting next to him, reminding his former Padawan to stay a safe distance away from the city.

"Right there, in that clearing," the Jedi Master said. Nivek followed directions and gave the ship a soft landing in a meadow.

The boarding ramp came own and hit the ground. Nivek walked out and stopped at the bottom. He could smell the nature all around him. The clear breeze was a relief to him after being stuffed in a shuttle. He stepped off and felt the soft earth beneath his boot. Dew was still on the ground as an orange and yellow glow could be seen in the night sky as dawn was quickly approaching.

Shoj followed walked down the ramp and got off. "Come on, the sun will rise soon. We don't have much time."

Nivek stepped off and followed his master through the tall grass towards the great urban city called Coronet City that could be seen in the distance.

000

Pyron stood silent as he looked over the city. He knew the robed figure was right. The Jedi and the Republic could be here at any moment and he had to be ready. Pyron commanded that his troops patrol the streets. Each patrol was also given a tank that was given to the Death Klan by Pyron's employer. Pyron was still wary of this assignment. His employer hadn't even showed himself yet. Pyron had no idea who he was working for. It was his robed servant that came to him and presented the deal to Pyron. It didn't matter much to him though. The Death Klan was a band of mercenaries, similar to the warriors of Mandalore. And they were willing to do any job that paid well enough.

The door to the throne room opened behind Pyron and he turned around the see TI-84 come in.

"Our scanners have detected a small Republic Shuttle in the swamps to the northeast," the droid reported.

"Not even big enough for a squad to soldiers. They must have sent Jedi," Pyron said to himself.

"I can sense them," said the robed Sith as the figure came out from the shadows. "I shall deal with them."

"Not yet," Pyron said. "You may be a Sith but your master assigned me to be the commanding officer here. And I order you to stay here." Pyron turned to the Sith. "Most likely, the Jedi will be coming after the King. They know that as long as we hold the King and Queen hostage, then we control the city. Stay here, and they will come to you." Pyron said and then he walked out of the Throne Room. He had a "welcoming party" to prepare for the Jedi.

000

Most of Nivek's training took place at the Jedi Temple. As a youngling, Nivek didn't like staying in the Jedi Temple reading historical texts. Nivek liked being out in the field and wandering through the outdoors was very comforting. Nivek and his master wandered away from the ship keeping low as to not be seen by speeder patrols. The thick forest made for good cover. Vines, branches, leaves and other organic matter made for a nuisance for Nivek but Shoj didn't seem to mind it as much.

Shoj was leading the two as he was ducking a set of branches that he was coming towards. He lowered down behind a bush. He held his arm up and made a fist. This was the military command for "Hold." Nivek saw it and crouched down low. Shoj brushed away some leaves so that he could see. His eyes were set on the city before him. Coronet City looked as gorgeous as usual. He was here three months earlier on an escort mission back to Coronet Palace. While the city looked beautiful, he could sense the strong darkness that lurked with in the city walls. But he could feel something else, the same dark presence, and it was close. Shoj heard the hum of machinery and he knew what it was. He turned to Nivek and made his hand flat, parallel with the ground. He then moved his hand towards the ground, telling the former Padawan to "Get Down." Nivek did so and Shoj got down under as well. He peeked through the leaved of the bush and as that he was right next to a wide dirt path. On that dirt path, was coming a large, black, tank. Men in black armor were riding on the hovering, metal, beast. They looked into the brush looking for the intruders. What shocked Shoj was the symbol on the side of the tank. The two Jedi waited in silence as the tank slowly passed by. When the hum of the tank was out of range, Shoj held his hand up and spun his finger in the air, meaning "Move On." The two Jedi got up and breathed a sigh of relief. But it was short lived.

"We have to move," Shoj said as he got up and continued toward the city.

Nivek got up to follow his master. "What's wrong, master?"

"That tank had the symbol of the Sith Empire on it,' he said, still walking.

"Maybe it was just an old tank from the Great Hyperspace War," Nivek said.

"I doubt it. There wasn't any blaster marks and the paint on it was fresh. That tank came straight from the Empire," he said.

"Well then we need to alert the council that the Death Klan is being backed up by the Empire," Nivek said.

"Either that or the Death Klan has joined the Empire. Either way, we will notify the Jedi Council when we reach the rendezvous point in the city," Shoj said still going on.

000

The sun made it just over the horizon when Nivek and Shoj made it to the city. The walls were made of metal and they could be easily cut with a lightsaber. But if they did that, then the Death Klan would know that the Jedi were in the city walls.

"Group 1 to Group 2. Do you copy?" Shoj said into the communicator on his wrist.

"Group 2 here, Master Jedi. Are you ready?" the voice on the other end said.

"We are," Shoj replied.

As if right on cue, a rope flew over the wall. It landed on the ground a few feet away from the Jedi. Nivek climbed the rope first over the wall and Shoj soon followed. The two Jedi were greeted by three men in traditional Corellian clothing. One had a white shirt, blue vest and black pants and he stepped forward. "We are grateful for you assistance, Master Jedi," he said.

Shoj bowed and Nivek followed suit. "We are here to help."

"Excellent, but now we must leave. Patrols will be by here any minute. The Jedi followed the man to a green speeder. They got in and the two Jedi put their hoods up so they wouldn't be recognized. The speeder blasted off so that the group could talk in private.

000

The speeder stopped in a nearby alley. The group of five got off the speeder and walked up to a closed door. A man was leaning on the wall next to it and nodded as they went in. The space in the room simple. It was small but it worked. There were two small couches that faced each other. The man that spoke to the Jedi earlier sat down on the couch and a girl with brunette hair sat next to him. Nivek and Shoj sat on the other couch facing the two Corellians. Others gather from other rooms and stood around the Jedi and the Corellians.

"We are thankful for the help of the Jedi and that of the Republic," the man said. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Kehel Tovar. This is my sister Kytra. I am the leader of the rebels here. As I said before, we were very thankful for the aid of the Republic."

"My name is Shoj Ramgah. This is my former Padawan and Jedi Knight, Nivek Kaj. The Republic as agreed to help you because they refuse to let a crucial world such as Corellia fall," Shoj said. "We have a plan but it will require the cooperation of the rebels that you have assembled."

"My men are ready to fight," Kehel said. The men and women that were standing around all nodded in agreement.

"Good," Shoj said. "Then, get some rest. We will make our move tonight."


End file.
